INEC Excludes Non-Compliant Parties from Governorship Candidate List Following Supreme Court Ruling
INEC Excludes Non-Compliant Parties from Governorship Candidate List Following Supreme Court Ruling
INEC Excludes Non-Compliant Parties from Governorship Candidate List Following Supreme Court Ruling
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has excluded political parties that failed to submit their membership registers as required by law from sponsoring candidates in the forthcoming governorship election.
The Commission said the decision followed the Supreme Court’s judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, delivered on September 24, 2026.
According to INEC, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality and mandatory nature of Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires political parties to submit their membership registers as a condition for conducting valid party primaries.
The court also upheld Item 2 of INEC’s Timetable and Schedule of Activities, which set April 21 to May 10, 2026, as the period for political parties to submit their membership registers.
INEC stated that the Supreme Court further ruled that political parties that fail to comply with the provisions are ineligible to sponsor candidates for elections.
The Commission said it applied the judgment, in line with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, while finalising the list of candidates for the governorship election.
However, INEC noted that the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates had been published on September 12, 2026, before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.
The Commission added that, under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted from the list have 14 days from the date of publication to notify INEC.
It stated that the deadline for such notifications is October 24, 2026.
INEC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.
INEC Excludes Non-Compliant Parties from Governorship Candidate List Following Supreme Court Ruling
